Department: Department of Justice
Location(s): Washington, District of Columbia
Salary Range: $70623 - $133142 Per Year
Job Summary: The incumbent serves as a Personnel Security Specialist in the Investigations Branch, Personnel Security Division (PSD), Office of Professional Responsibility and Security Operations (OPRSO). PSD is responsible for the implementation and oversight of ATF's Personnel Security. Since 1998, ATF has held the unique status of maintaining delegated authority, issued by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to conduct background investigations.
Major Duties:
Qualifications: To qualify for the Personnel Security Specialist (Investigator) position at the GS-9/11/12, you must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Minimum Qualifications To qualify for this position at the GS-09 grade level, candidates must also have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-07) by the closing date of this announcement. Specialized experience is demonstrated experience, which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position. Experience must be in the normal line of progression or must be related to the work of the position advertised and must be reflected in resume. Specialized experience must include all of: Assists in determining if reciprocity criteria were properly applied to the investigation based on previous background investigations conducted and in determining that the type of investigation requested is appropriate for the identified position; AND Assists with conducting pre-employment screening and/or making interim clearance or temporary eligibility recommendations; AND Reviews all information obtained in the Security Package for accuracy and completeness; AND Conducts investigative inquiries. OR Completion of a master's or equivalent graduate degree or at least 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related to the requirements of the position. To qualify for this position at the GS-11 grade level, candidates must also have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-09) by the closing date of this announcement. Specialized experience must include all of: Determines if reciprocity criteria were properly applied to the investigation based on previous background investigations conducted and ensures that the type of investigation requested is appropriate for the identified position; AND Conducts pre-employment screening and makes interim clearance or temporary eligibility recommendations; AND Reviews all information obtained in the Security Package for accuracy and completeness; AND Identifies all components needed to be performed for the background investigation based on the requirements applicable to the investigation type. OR Completion of a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or at least 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related to the requirements of the position. To qualify for this position at the GS-12 grade level, candidates must also have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11) by the closing date of this announcement. Specialized experience must include all of: Determines if reciprocity criteria were properly applied to the investigation based on previous background investigations conducted and ensures that the type of investigation requested is appropriate for the identified position; AND Conducts pre-employment screening and makes interim clearance or temporary eligibility recommendations; AND Reviews all information obtained in the Security Package for accuracy and completeness; AND Conducts background investigations ensuring all components needed are obtained based on the requirements applicable to the investigation type. Your resume must support your responses to the application questionnaire and the qualification requirements. Failure to do so may result in an ineligible rating. See the Required Documents section for important notes about what must be included in your resume. After you submit this application, you will receive an e-mail informing you that a USA Hire assessment is required of you. You will have 48 hours from the closing date of this announcement (03/30/2026) to complete the assessment as this assessment is part of your application.
How to Apply: To apply for this position, you must complete the online application questionnaire and submit your supporting documentation. Your complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 03/30/2026 to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: Click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application. Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. After submitting an online application, you will be notified whether or not you are required to take additional online assessments through the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment system. This message will be delivered to you via email notification. The email may be routed to your "Spam" or "Junk" folder. If you are asked to take the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be presented with a unique URL to access the USA Hire system. Access to USA Hire is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Be sure to review all instructions prior to beginning your USA Hire Assessments. Click here for Computer System Requirements (https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=USA_Hire_System_Requirements) Note, set aside at least 3 hours to take these assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue at a later time, you can re-use the URL sent to you via email and also found on the Additional Application Information page that can be located in the application record in your USAJOBS account. To update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period return to your USAJOBS account. There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Edit My Application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement is closed. To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account. Your applications will appear on the Welcome page. Navigate to the job application and click Track this application to view your application status. The link will take you to the hiring agency application system, which has the most up-to-date status of your application. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means click here. NEED HELP?If you need help with USAJOBs or the application process, please see the USAJOBS Help or Application Manager Online Help websites which includes information on managing your account, creating an application, uploading documents, etc.
Application Deadline: 2026-03-30